O.V. Wright

O.V. Wright -The Bottom Line - Hi HLP 6008 (1978)

The Bottom Line/I Don't Do Windows/That's The Way I Feel About Cha/ Your Good Thing Is About To End/Let's Straighten It Out/ I Don't Know Why/No easy Way To say Goodbye/A Little More Time/Since You Left These Arms Of Mine/A Long Road

Produced By: Willie Mitchell

Let's Straighten It Out

A fine stepper taken from his Hi album The Bottom Line, written by Benny Lattimore and recorded at the famous Royal Studios in Memphis. His voice sounds a tad weaker than in his Back Beat days and his also has a lisp in his voice. Maybe the drugs are taking affect or he might have lost some teeth, who knows. He recorded this album just after a spell in prison for drug offences - ooops. "Let's Straighten It Out" has also been sampled by rappers, the Wu Town Clan! as are many of his other sides.

Photo: Benny Joseph

I've always admired his work right from the first Goldwax single 'There Goes My Used To be" 'b' side in 1964. It goes without saying that about ten of this Back Beat sides are must-have Northern soul singles;" I Can't believe", "Poor Boy" and even as late as 1970 with 'Love The Way You Love' are all stunning tunes.

Back to today's album though the other stand out track here is the Bobby Womack song "That's 'The Way I Feel About Cha" given the OV treatment. The other tracks are of the very finest Southern soul. OV incidentally stands for Overton Vertis, he was born in Leno, Tennessee on 18th. October, 1939 he later started singing Gospel with the Harmony Echoes and Sunset Travelers who recorded for Don Robey's Peacock label in Texas. As well as being a singer he wrote songs and was a multi instrumentalist in his own right.

After his first hit with Goldwax label Don Robey reminded him he was with Peacock/Back Beat records because of his previous Gospel work, that's how he came/forced to be on Back Beat! ABC bought out Peacock in the early 70's and OV moved to Hi Records in 1975 having already recorded Nickel And A Nail/The Memphis Album with Willie Mitchell at Hi Records b/w 1971-1973 for Back Beat anyway. Collectables: His 60's LP's are all mega-rare I've never seen a copy of Memory Blues album it may not exsist? ABC re-issued some of them in early 70's. Uk Sue single & Ep £60+, Action single hard.

Harder to find O.V. Wright  LP's on The Back Beat Label

Sadly he died at the young age of 41 after a heart attack in Mobile, Alabama, 9th. November 1980. A memorial site has been set up at: http://www.ovwright.org/

All his Back Beat sides including the Goldwax single were released in a 3 CD box set in Japan in 2008.

O.V. Wright Discography (Albums):

1965 If It's Only For Tonight (Back Beat) £75

1967 8 Men And 4 Women (Back Beat) £150 uk £350

1968 Memory Blues (Back Beat)

1968 Nucleus Of Soul (Back Beat) £75

1971 A Nickel And A Nail And Ace Of Spades (Back Beat) £200

1973 Memphis Unlimited (Back Beat)
1977 Into Something I Can't Shake Loose (Hi Records)
1977 The Wright Stuff (Hi Records)
1978 The Bottom Line (Hi Records)

1978 Pleading With My Love (Hi Records)

1979 0.V. Wright Live (Hi Records) Victor Japan
1979 We're Still Together (Hi Records)